Reviving memories

Your

about what was making the pages of the Engineer in January 1976 (Comment, 16 January) brought back a few memories for me, and it was interesting to note that even then India was being talked about as the new Japan.

Perhaps we get too downhearted about the decline of UK engineering. It seems to me that with the roles now reversed — us competing for the high-end and valuable specialist work, and India focused on mass production — the UK is actually in the better position.

If India is chasing the world’s low-margin mass manufacturing business, then so is China and so soon will be South American countries such as Brazil. If cost is the only factor, then companies in these nations will soon find themselves working for next to nothing.

By providing specialist services in areas where we excel, such as advanced electronics, space technology and automotive engineering, we can set ourselves apart from the rest and make some money into the bargain.

David Bell
Ipswich
Suffolk